​Eric Holder May Be Held In Contempt Of Congress

On June 20, a United States House committee will decide whether or not to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress for declining to furnish written communication about a federal gun investigation.

The committee, led by Republican Chairman Darrell Issa, will consider whether to hold Holder in contempt of Congress for “his failure to produce documents specified in the Committee’s October 12, 2011, subpoena” related to its investigation of the much-maligned “Fast and Furious” gun-walking operation, the committee said in a statement.

This vote was scheduled by The Oversight and Government Reform Committee due to the Justice Department declining to fully cooperate with a congressional investigation of Fast and Furious, which is a law enforcement operation that allowed illegal U.S. weapons purchases to wind up in Mexico.

President Barack Obama’s administration has been frequently criticized about their handling of the operation. According to Holder, law enforcement’s tactics used were inappropriate. They allowed over 2,000 guns to be taken away when they targeted Mexican drug cartels between 2009 and January 2011.

“Congress has an obligation to investigate unanswered questions about attempts to smear whistle-blowers, failures by Justice Department officials to be truthful and candid with the congressional investigation, and the reasons for the significant delay in acknowledging reckless conduct in Operation Fast and Furious,” Issa said in the statement.

‘Political Games’ Issa is playing “political games” and his call for a contempt vote “fits within that tired political playbook that has so many Americans disillusioned with Washington,” said Tracy Schmaler, a Justice Department spokeswoman, in a statement.